NOTE: This survey is extracted from Bob Altemeyer's intriguing book
The Authoritarians, which he has made available
online free of charge.
Bob Altemeyer has spent decades engaged in the scientific study of authoritarianism.
The following introductory text, instructions, survey questions, and calculation methods used are taken directly
from his book:
Who am I? I'm a nearly retired psychology professor in Canada who has
spent most of his life studying authoritarianism.
[...]
What is Authoritarianism?
Authoritarianism is something authoritarian followers and authoritarian
leaders cook up between themselves. It happens when the followers submit too
much to the leaders, trust them too much, and give them too much leeway to do
whatever they want--which often is something undemocratic, tyrannical and
brutal. In my day, authoritarian fascist and authoritarian communist dictatorships
posed the biggest threats to democracies, and eventually lost to them in wars
both hot and cold. But authoritarianism itself has not disappeared, and I'm going
to present the case in this book that the greatest threat to American democracy
today arises from a militant authoritarianism that has become a cancer upon the
nation.
[...]
This survey is part of an investigation of general public opinion concerning a variety of social issues.
You will probably find that you agree with some of the statements, and disagree with others, to varying
extents. Please indicate your reaction to each statement on the line to the left of each item according
to the following scale:
Select -4 if you very strongly disagree with the statement.
Select -3 if you strongly disagree with the statement.
Select -2 if you moderately disagree with the statement.
Select -1 if you slightly disagree with the statement.
Select +1 if you slightly agree with the statement.
Select +2 if you moderately agree with the statement.
Select +3 if you strongly agree with the statement.
Select +4 if you very strongly agree with the statement.
If you feel exactly and precisely neutral about an item, select "0."
Important: You may find that you sometimes have different reactions to different parts of a statement. For example,
you might very strongly disagree ("-4") with one idea in a statement, but slightly agree ("+1") with
another idea in the same item. When this happens, please combine your reactions, and select how
you feel on balance (a "-3" in this case).